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Lofty Holloway
George "Lofty" Holloway was the luckless ex-soldier who moved to Albert Square in 1985 after leaving the army due to asthma. He began working at The Queen Victoria as the barman but was fired in 1987 when he asked the pub's landlord, Den Watts, for a pay rise. In 1985, Lofty grew close with Michelle Fowler when she fell pregnant and refused to tell anyone who the father was. He soon fell in love with Michelle and, although she did not feel the same, the pair married in 1986. Lofty then acted as a father figure for Michelle's daughter, Vicki Fowler. However, by 1987 Lofty and Michelle's relationship began to break down. Lofty wanted another baby, but Michelle did not. This caused friction in the pair's already strained relationship, and when Michelle accidentally fell pregnant in December 1987, she decided to have an abortion. Lofty was distraught to learn Michelle aborted their baby and quickly realised he could not stay in Walford with everything that had happened to him. He left in April 1988 to pursue a career as a handyman in Bedfordshire and later became a social worker. He returned in February 2019 for the funeral of Dr Legg and revealed he was running 15 pubs across London. Before leaving once more, Lofty handed Michelle's brother, Martin Fowler, £20,000 to give to Vicki. Biography 1985-1988: Relationship with Michelle Fowler Lofty moved to Albert Square and into flat 1C courtesy of his aunt, Irene Holloway, who secured the flat for him. He worked as a barman in the local pub, The Queen Victoria, and grew close to Michelle Fowler after she fell pregnant with Den Watts's baby. Michelle refused to disclose the identity of her baby's father, and Lofty quickly realised that Michelle would have to bring her baby up on her own. He did not like the thought of Michelle raising a baby alone, so he decided to propose to Michelle so that she would have both emotional and financial support. Michelle accepted Lofty's proposal and the pair were set to marry in September 1986. However, on the day of the wedding, Den visited Michelle, and following a heart-to-heart between the pair, Michelle realised she could not marry Lofty, leaving him distraught. Michelle later realised that she would not be able to have the relationship with Den that she wanted, so she returned to Lofty and rescheduled their wedding day, despite not truly being in love with him. After their wedding, Michelle moved into Lofty's flat with him. Lofty was determined to provide for Michelle financially, so he asked Den for a pay rise. Den refused to give him one and when he continued to pester him over the situation, he was fired. Soon after his firing, he bagged himself a job at The Dagmar. By mid-1987, Lofty realised he could never be a true father to Vicki as he was not her biological father. He decided he wanted a baby of his own and confronted Michelle over the situation, although he received a shock when Michelle told him she did not want another child. Lofty tried to convince Michelle otherwise and was taken aback when she told him that if she was to have another baby, he would have to stay at home and care for it whilst she went out and worked. Lofty and Michelle's differences in what they wanted out of their relationship frequently caused tension between them, and when Michelle accidentally fell pregnant with Lofty's baby in December 1987, she went behind his back and had an abortion. Lofty was thrilled to learn he was becoming a father again, but his happiness was short-lived when Michelle admitted to him she aborted his baby. Lofty was furious with Michelle, and was supported by several residents in the Square in the aftermath of the incident, including his best friend, Simon Wicks. 1987-1988: The Death of Aunt Irene and leaving the Square Amidst his relationship with Michelle, Lofty also had a strong relationship with his aunt Irene. Irene had terminal cancer and lived in a hospice. Lofty frequently visited her and Irene was keen to support both Lofty and Michelle throughout their relationship. However, in 1987, Irene succumbed to her cancer and Lofty was heartbroken. With everything that had happened to him in Albert Square, Lofty felt he could no longer continue living there. In April 1988, the local curate, Duncan Boyd, showed Lofty an advertisement for a handyman at a children's home in Bedfordshire. Lofty considered the job heavily and ultimately decided that it was for the best that he left. Before leaving, he confronted Michelle one more time over who the father of Vicki was, but Michelle refused to tell him. He left quietly to start a new life in Bedfordshire the following day, only saying goodbye to Den. 2019: A brief return Following the death of Dr Legg in 2019, Lofty decided to return to the Square once more and pay his respects, alongside former punk Mary Smith. Whilst back in the Square, Lofty reminisced with old friends Kathy Beale, Dot Branning, Sharon Mitchell and Mary Smith. Lofty revealed he was a successful business, owning fifteen pubs across London. Before leaving once more, Lofty handed Michelle's brother, Martin Fowler, a £20,000 cheque, which was to be given to Vicki. Other information *Lofty was originally in the army, however he was forced to quit when he was discovered to have asthma. *Lofty was originally storylined to have a gay relationship with Nick Cotton. Background information *Lofty was one of the original set of twenty-three characters in EastEnders. First and last lines "You're a real little cracker you are, Ethel. What is that you got on your hair?" (First line) --- "Mary brought it with her." (Final line) See also *Full list of appearances Category:EastEnders characters Category:Original characters Category:1985 debuts Category:1986 weddings Category:2019 departures Category:Residents of 1C Albert Square Category:The Queen Victoria potmen Category:The Dagmar staff Category:Businessmen